


Legs To Stand

by musicforswimming



Category: Firefly
Genre: F/F, Femslash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-05-21
Updated: 2006-05-21
Packaged: 2017-10-02 10:57:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 549
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5552
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/musicforswimming/pseuds/musicforswimming
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Today is not a good day.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Legs To Stand

**Author's Note:**

> Pre-Serenity.

Dress hangs like water flowing around rocks, like water dripping and smoke swirling around her. River stares from above as Zoe moves, entranced and trying to make sense of her simplicity. Easy and smooth and sturdy; she don't need to dance to move through the world because the world will dance around her.

Simon is busy, talking to Kaylee, in his own stumbling dance, and Wash is leading the ship, and everyone, River understands, is dancing, everyone but her and Zoe because there is no music for her and the world will dance around Zoe instead; she can make it dance for her because she can make anything be. The 'verse would have an easier time moving for her than it will making her move for it; River understands this and it follows to her that the 'verse understands it as well.

Today was not a good day.

Today, of course, is not technically a day, anyway, for there is no sun and there cannot be day if there is no sun, but assuming for the moment that the measurements of time are to be her base, it is day, and it is not a good day.

Everything was loud today, but there has been no music to it, no pattern; only chaos and everything screaming about her. Everyone dresses and runs about like leaves caught on the breeze and tossed, and she walks along the rail in the hopes that perhaps she will see a pattern from above (again, there is no above technically, but with artificial gravity she above relative to everyone down with the cargo), but there is only the way the metal joins and that is a pattern she already understands, because she has counted every bar and the weight is irrelevant in space.

Eventually Simon would notice. She knew this when she got up, but she still ignores him when she hears him cry out, and Kaylee too; she only holds her arms out and closes her eyes, because her eyes will trick her and her feet know how they should go. She thinks of swirling water and that Zoe's dress clings to her like river to rocks. She should be sorry for worrying them but there isn't room in her head right now for sorry.

The heady smoke of incense drifts from Inara's shuttle, where the door is open because she has work to do. They all have, but they have time, too, and money, so there are plans for tonight.

Shoes on the grate behind her, not boots but shoes, because they have time tonight and not work.

"Come on, River, baby," Zoe says, holding out her hand.

River looks at her and finally takes it, and steps down, because it is easier to obey Zoe than to try to make her obey, and anyway, if she joins the dance of the 'verse around Zoe, then she has a pattern.

"Good girl," Zoe says. "You coming out with us? Might go dancing."

"All right," River says. It's probably not a good idea, because it will be loud, but there will be some music if they go dancing. "Only if there's dancing." She hangs onto Zoe's hand, but only for a moment, because water falls around rocks and it can never stop running.


End file.
